America's best beer towns

Newlywed, new mom and first-time home buyer, Sarah is currently playing out her exciting life in Phoenix, Arizona. She recently gave up her job in finance to stay at home with her baby girl, who between bath time and feeding time, keeps ...

Top towns for beer

Did you know that beer was invented more than 5,000 years ago? It’s no wonder that drinking beer is one of our favorite pastimes. Personally, I’m a huge fan of fall beers. There’s nothing like drinking a pumpkin ale in cool weather among the fall foliage. Eventually, I would love to explore beer towns throughout the U.S. with my husband, tasting and delighting in the best beers around. Check out these top eight towns for beer!

1

Portland, Oregon

If you’re looking for genuine craft beer, Oregon is your place, specifically Portland. Portland currently boasts the most breweries in the world, at 51 in the city and 70 in the metro area.

Denver

I know first-hand that the beer is good — extremely good — in Denver. Denver, along with the surrounding cities, is home to dozens of breweries and No. 1 for the most home breweries. Denver also hosts the Great American Beer Festival in every autumn.

Our favorite brewery:World of Beer in Cherry Creek. Hear live music as you sample some of the 50-plus beers on tap.

3

Seattle

Those who live in Seattle aren’t just enjoying a good cup of coffee — they’re enjoying some of the nation’s best beer, too. Seattle is known for their variety of different beers. Whether you prefer light, dark, low-alcohol or pale ale, Seattle has a beer for you.

Our favorite brewery:Fremont Brewing. Fremont Brewing, which opened in 2008, offers a friendly, neighborhood vibe in their urban beer garden and uses only the best local ingredients in their beers.

4

Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville is known for both its music and its beer. The city’s breweries are focused on creating beer with a distinctive local flavor. Nashville provides everything you’re looking for a on a Friday night out — great live music, familiar faces and ice-cold beer!

Our favorite brewery:Fat Bottom Brewing. Each beer is named after a vintage pin-up girl (Ginger Wheat Ale and Black Betty IPA, for example), and beers are served with cheese plates. What more could a beer-lover want?

5

Chicago

Chicago is not only the best city for pizza, but it’s also ranked No. 1 for sports bars, according to Travel and Leisure. Good sports bars equal good beers — need we say more?

Our favorite brewery:Half Acre Beer Co. It started in 2006 in a spare bedroom, then moved to the fourth floor of an old factory and now has its own building in the heart of Chicago. All that in seven years — the beer must be good!

6

San Diego, California

While most people visit San Diego for the beaches and tourist hot spots, beer connoisseurs are there for a different reason. San Diego is home to more than 30 breweries and ranks in the top 10 best happy hours.